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From Stewart on The Pacific Labour Scheme and the Royal Commission into Aged Care
The PLS is a brilliant program but it needs to be restricted to other areas apart from aged care for reasons highlighted above plus many more that exist and would surface down the line.
Happy for a chat should you require further details and insights on the other potential issues I memtioned.
From Juliet Hunt on The Pacific Labour Scheme and the Royal Commission into Aged Care
What great contribution. Thanks for sharing this important information!
From Rohan on A policy to boost PNG’s rural economy
Thanks Katao - I think it is important to look at this holistically, i.e. what is the revenue minus the cost. Lets say a farmer normally earns per day 20 kina per unit of coffee minus 5 kina for imported goods (e.g. pesticides, food) and 5 kina for domestic goods (e.g. food etc) - then at the end they will have 10 kina in total (20 minus 5 minus 5 = 10). With a change in the exchange rate of say 20%, their coffee revenue will increase by 20% from 20 to 24 kina, and their imported goods costs will also increase by 20% from 5 to 6 kina, and their domestic goods costs will be unchanged. Meaning that they will earn 13 kina in total (24 minus 6 minus 5 = 13) - so they are 3 kina, or 30 per cent better off in total once everything is taken in to account. This is a totally hypothetical example obviously, and it only affects exports farmers.
From Bernard Yegiora on Will James Marape become the third PNG PM to complete a full term?
Well written piece.
There are two more factors based on personality and tribal politics that will ensure Marape remains for the full term. Maybe the research team can do further research.
Firstly, I call it the 'support of the big 4', these 4 MPs will cause instability if they move to the opposition anytime between now and 2024. The big 4 from my perspective are; Kramer, Bird, Maru and Juffa. They are outspoken and influential party leaders.
Secondly, I call it the 'Hela-Opene political alliance', MPs from Hela and Enga are brothers according to traditional folklore. Engan MPs like Lino who recently became leader of the People's Party will remain loyal to a Marape because he is from Hela.
From john fikus on What went wrong with the 2022 elections in PNG?
You are most welcome and take care.j
From Terence Wood on What went wrong with the 2022 elections in PNG?
Thank you for your comment John.
From john fikus on What went wrong with the 2022 elections in PNG?
Well stated, i agree on your statement as a citizen of Papua new guinea.
From Moses Peraki on It’s time for a minimum earning guarantee for Pacific workers
1. How much is paid per fortnight?
2. How much will be declared for food?
3. How much will be declared for room rent?
Please answer all my question above.
From Stephen Charteris on PNG’s health data: too much of a good thing – part two
Malaria data
I agree with the author that filling out the current NHIS malaria data sheets, elevating and collating that information into a useful management tool for use at any level is fraught with issues. Elevating aid post records, sometimes months after the event to the NHIS begs the question as to what use it is at that stage.
What are the issues that impact upon the quality of the data collected? Firstly, not all aid post workers have malaria data folios issued to them on which to record presentations. Secondly, there is a real question mark over accuracy of the diagnosis for those who do.
If the standard issue rapid diagnostic kits are not available, the health worker may have to make a clinical assessment based on the symptoms of the patient. Assessments of clinical diagnosis versus gold the standard of microscopy reveals that workers who have to rely upon clinical diagnosis tend to record a positivity rate up to thirty percent higher than it actually is.
Further clinical diagnosis is unable to delineate between a purely blood stage malaria or one with liver dormancy. The usual outcome is to assume the latter and record a mixed species infection which inflates that metric.
When RDTs are used there is a tendency by workers pressed for time to shortcut the correct development time and misread the test strip.
In reality very few of the 8,000 contributing sites have access to a functional microscope or a WHO accredited level a 1 or 2 microscopist.
Less experienced lab techs have a tendency to miss P. vivax altogether or misread the ring stage as P. falciparum, resulting in data in either case being erroneously skewed towards the latter species. Under these circumstances RDTs have been shown to give more accurate results than inexperienced microscopists.
There is a need to ensure that workers at every level are constantly supplied with RDTs and that community health workers in particular are provided with in service refresher courses to ensure they continue to read RDTs correctly.
Then there is the issue of how best to utilise the data that is recorded. Let’s be clear, depending upon the local geography malaria incidence can vary markedly between communities along a 20 km stretch of coastline.
Those close to creeks with still water lagoons may suffer incidence in the order of 100 (100 positive presentations per 1,000 in the population per annum) while communities located in drier locations might see incidence of less than 20 over the same period.
Then there is the question of speciation. Does a community have the normal distribution of parasitic infections or is it skewed towards vivax or falciparum and which age group in family is presenting with symptoms?
From the perspective of a local level government or district health manager this information is important and should inform the type of response, particularly in relation to community awareness and the vector control measures he or she recommends. The question then is do they get this information and if yes, do they act on it?
In my experience visiting aid post workers in different locations throughout the country the answer is more likely to be once data sheets are collected, they never hear about them again.
As for how the raw data is used at the level of the NHIS, I have yet to meet a district or LLG level worker who has received feedback courtesy of the NHIS.
I agree with the notion of sentinel sites, but unless PNGIMR is properly funded it is doubtful their staff could monitor a sufficiently large sample to adequately to provide the level of national data coverage needed.
If there is to be greater value obtained at the local level, I would suggest the focus be placed upon district level collection, analysis and appropriate action in accordance with the results.
From Paul Barker on PNG’s health data: too much of a good thing – part two
A useful discussion on the collection, relevance and application of health data, which can also apply in principle to the routine or survey collection of other demographic, social & economic ( incl agricultural) data. Largely, PNG is highly deficient on routine and reliable data, although, as with basic population data, there are multiple partial, or partially completed, data collection vehicles rolled out by different institutions. Two principles need to be applied: firstly, restricting and agreeing to the relevant information required, both from routine collection, and specific surveys, and, second ensuring that the information, other than any patient- confidential material, is accessible openly and freely, to enable the national sector authorities, including Health and IMR, have access, but also wider institutions, researchers, and civil society organisations can also access it, both for analysis and accountability purposes.
One shouldn't bring the bar to low, and assume deficient health sector institutions for ever, but provide what should be competent, if uncoordinated institutions to access priority and timely data, in parallel with seeking to restoring and upgrading that capacity. There are certainly many capable individuals working in the sector who both provide and demand sound information ... like the impressive team who've been working on TB out of the Kaugere sub- hospital, etc ... so making the data, and analysis of it, both widely available, but also in a relevant and accessible format are also crucial, and, as stated, this also applies in other sectors, where routine and extensive data is not being kept, nor has been for many years ...
From Terence Wood on 2022 PNG election results: nine findings
Thank you for the comment and suggestion.
It is a very interesting proposal. It seems to me there would be two associated challenges: increased counting time, and increased complexity for voters, who would have to fully rank candidates by preference (as I understand it).
Both of these challenges seem like major impediments that would need to be planned for and overcome.
Thank you again for your comment.
Terence
From Joe Barak on Connect PNG: the road to development?